“Research has informed us that the role of a child’s family and caregiving environment are critical variables in determining a child’s outcome. Thus, as educators, we must work with and for families to help them become informed advocates and consumers of services for their children.”

Overview

Prior to joining the faculty in 1993, Harriet Able was an assistant professor at the University of Colorado at Denver, taught preschool and elementary school and served as a state consultant for the Colorado Department of Education.

Able’s areas of expertise include early childhood, special education, interdisciplinary collaboration, teacher preparation with a focus on campus community collaborations, ethics and special education, post secondary transitions, and empowering families who have children and youth with disabilities. She has received many interdisciplinary personnel preparation grants from the U.S. Office of Education focused on collaborative teaming initiatives between special education and the allied health professions.

Her research focuses on innovative personnel development models as well as ethics and special education. She has published and presented papers regarding the preparation of interdisciplinary personnel, inclusion for children and youth with ASD, hospital-based early interventions and ethics and special education. Her primary research interests focus on young children and youth with autism spectrum disorders and family empowerment.

Selected Publications

Sreckovic, M.A., Hume, K., & Able, H. (2017). Examining the efficacy of
peer network interventions on the social interactions of high school students with autism spectrum
disorder, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 47: 2556-2574. R*#

Able, H., Amsbary, J., & Zheng, S. (in press). Application of DEC recommended family centered practices: Where the rubber meets the road. National Division for Early Childhood Monograph: Knowing families, tailoring practices, and building capacities Young Exceptional Children Family Centered Practice.

Able, H., Schultz, T., Sreckovic, M.A., & Garwood, J. (2014). Teacher support and professional development needs for inclusion of students with ASD: Views from the trenches. Teacher Education, Special Education, 38 (1), 44-57. *#